Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Weirdest pub gig ever.


TimR
 Share

Recommended Posts

Did a wedding in a place north of London a few years ago. We set up in the beer garden in a marquee. This backed on to other gardens so we were asked to keep it down. It got to a point where we could hear the sound of feet dancing on the wooden dance floor over us. The couple and guests (rightly so) kept asking us to turn up as they couldn't hear us. The landlord stormed in a couple of times during the first set to ask us to turn down. During the second set he came in and pulled all the faders down on our desk during a song. The couple were dancing right in front of us at the time.
He then had a go at us in front of everyone, telling us he might lose his licence if there were complaints and that if we we rent go to comply he would shut the party down completely. The wedding guests looked stunned but didnt speak up. We ended up turning the amps off and all going through the vocal PA. It actually sounded quite good at that volume but we couldnt really get in to it after that.

To us it looked like he didnt have an entertainment licence, yet was hiring out his pub as a wedding venue. We got asked to go back once (these were through agents, not direct) but declined.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1474813374' post='3140694']
My favourite weird pub gig was when I roadied for an evening for a friend.

First half went ok but at at the break we heard sounds of shouting, then a scuffle and then glass breaking from the small patio / smoking area.

The landlord had apparently picked a fight with a couple of locals.

He then turned all the power off and then told the entire pub to F-off and barred everyone present from ever drinking there again saying he'd remember all their faces (this included me and the band).

One of his bar staff got the power back on as the punters drifted out and told us we'd get paid but should scarper quickly.

The landlord then had another fit of shouting and threw himself out of the pub shouting that he wouldn't let himself back in again :)

He headed off to the car park right next to the police station and attacked a copper who promptly locked him up for the night.

The pub was not only opposite the police station but also the magistrates' court.

Needless to say he lost his licence pretty soon after. . .
[/quote]

How very excellent a story. I'm actually a little jealous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I played the Cat and Mutton in Hackney one time. It was a gentle Sunday lunchtime covers thing. The whole place was fighting at one point and it all kicked off because of two guys elbowing each other at the bar.

Best ever was turning up at a pub (I'm not saying where), carrying the drums in, we kicked open the door into the room where we were playing, only to witness a full on lesbian live sex show happening in front of a handful drunk skinheads!

Happy days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1474915579' post='3141520']
I played the Cat and Mutton in Hackney one time. It was a gentle Sunday lunchtime covers thing. The whole place was fighting at one point and it all kicked off because of two guys elbowing each other at the bar.

Best ever was turning up at a pub (I'm not saying where), carrying the drums in, we kicked open the door into the room where we were playing, only to witness a full on lesbian live sex show happening in front of a handful drunk skinheads!

Happy days.
[/quote]

I've heard of fights breaking out in pubs, but lesbian sex breaking out is something of a rarity... in my experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've played gigs where fights have broken out, people have been accused of stealing the charity box, drunk 50+ women have gone topless, etc.

I just thought it weird that the person running the evening didn't seem to want us there and hadn't really made any effort to contact us to cancel. There are some strange people about.

.

Edited by TimR
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the early 80s, we used to get booked regularly at a really dodgy pub on the East Lancs road in Liverpool. To this day I'm convinced that the manager hated us and only booked us back to watch us squirm in fear once again. There were forever fights breaking out.
On one occasion, the classic dodgy geezer was standing one foot in front of our singer/guitar-player's mic stand (a classic place for the singer to receive a mic in the teeth if he's unlucky) just staring him down. After a few minutes, the singer just whips the headstock of his telecaster around whacking the bloke in the temple. He went down like a sack of spuds and was carried out swearing he'd be back. After that we declined further bookings for fear of reprisals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two weeks ago we were supposed to INVOICE them for our fee but due to an issue with the brewery we had to be paid in cash. WTF?! We won't be going back there!

This weekend we couldn't remember how we'd come to be booked there so asked the landlord. He had no idea as he'd only been there a couple of weeks. We never did meet whoever booked us in the first place

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1474967385' post='3141819']
I've played gigs where fights have broken out, people have been accused of stealing the charity box, drunk 50+ women have gone topless, etc.
[/quote]

I must be doing something wrong, I've never even had one woman go topless at a gig, never mind that many!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha... not really weird but, and it must be nearly thirty yrs ago. We were doing our regular Friday nighter in a nice little place out in the sticks when the lead vox who had a niggly relationship with the landlord suddenly started berrating the landlord through a full pa for what he percieved was a paultry payment for the gig.

Imagine it, the band still playing through something like Rosanna and over the top is the lead vox f ing and blinding at the landlord in full view of a packed house!...it was hilarious and just a tad embarrassing for all to say the least. Poor old Nev he was always on a short fuse..brilliant vocalist though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've played to a full set [b]to nobody[/b] at an in-pub beer festival. To be fair, two people wandered in at one point and realised they were at the wrong pub, and we did get a dad and his two kids dancing for our self-initiated encore. But otherwise nobody in a decent sized room, and we got free beer and paid, despite actually feeling sorry for the pub and saying the free beer was enough!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...